Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-01-20

and changes in school lava are respectfully
commended to YOUR attention.
HIGHER SCHOOLS.
The three great educational institutions OF the
State, the University at Lawrence, the Agricul-
tural College at Manhattan, and the Normal
School at Emporia, are all in prosperous con-
dition. with a steadily Increasing enrolment Of
students. constantly improving appliances for
educational work, and rapidly expanding fields
81 usefulness. They are sll justifying. BY their
results, the confidence and generous support OF
the people, and the State can AFFORD to be hbef>
al, though not extravagant, in providing for
their upbuildine.
The permanent fund Of the University now
aggregates s1l1,2109; that Of the Normal
School, $40 29S.2 p, and that Of the Agricultural
College, s5O1 ,Oss33 All Of these {upds VIII be
somewhat increased by sales OF lands belong
ing to them.
There are complaints, occasionally. that the
State has not been liberal in providing facilities
for the higher education Of its youth. These
complaints are not well founded Since the ad-
mission of Kansas, the appropriations made to
these three institutions, for buildings and cur
rent expenses, have aggregated u OF, 9N
THE STATE CNIvERSIrY.-The reports Of the
regents and other officers Of the University fnr-
nish full information concerning the condition,
prospects and needs Of that institution. Tho
University is steadily growing in usefulness,
and the high rank it has attained among the
great educational Institutions Of the country
ought to be, to our people, q source OF universal
pride.
The Legislature st IT'S regular session appro-
priated $4,000 for the erection OF building to
be devoted to natural history. The building has
been completed, and is occupied for the pur
pose for which it was provided.
The new department of pharmacy has been
fully organized, and had during its first year
twenty three students enrolled
THE STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.-The
work, growth and present condition OF tpis I'M
portant educational institution are fully detailed
in the reports of its regents and officers. The
new college hall has been completed; forty-four
acres have been added to the farm; and the
value of the college property has increased dur
ing the past two Yeas from Sac, .e5 to Ss07,
67S.C3.
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.-The reports Of the
regents and officers of this institution show that
it Is in very prosperous condition. Its grad
yates are in demand as teachers and the enroll
ment of pupils attending is steadily Increasing.
During the fiscal year ending June 20, 1888, the
enrolment was COS; for the next year 1t reached
72t; and during the present year 1t IS believed
thSt fully 500 young men and women, anxious to
qualify themselves as public educators, will be
In attendance.
No appropriation was made to pay the ex-
pense of appraising advertising and selling the
lands, which aggregated SSOa.S5. An appropria'
ton for this purpose should be made.
The suggestions and recommendations of the
board concerning changes and needed improve
ments in the school, deserve your considerate
attention.
TIE EDUCATIONAL BOARDS.
It has been suggested that tho three Boards
Of Regents having charge, scterally. OF the UNI
versity, the Agricultural College and the Nor
aial School, should be consolidated, and that
snc board be given supervision OF all these IN
situations. do not believe that such system
Ct management WOULD be practical, or adyan-
tageous either to the State or the institutions.
Each of these schools occupies different field,
aud the legitimate ambitions and rivalries Of
each promote the efficiency apd prosperity OF
ell. One board could not escape the suspicion,
If ;rdeed 1t could avoid real development
of pertfality It's recommendations In
favor of improvements at one institution
would be regarded, By the others as favoritism;
and thus jealousy, discomfort and aninloslt1es,
hurtftl TO IKE interests Of all. would be engen-
dered. The EXPENSE OF the Boards OF Regents
might be reduced, as have elsewhere suggest
would not advise placing the management OF
the three institutions in charge Of one board
THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND.
The permanent school fund now aggregates
SOG1 SS7 03, Of which amount si,0O1 81 5 is in
vested in interest bearing bonds. This total
however, includes $1,000 in bonds Of School dis
trcts Of Comanche County, $500 OF Norton
County and $4,000 Of Rice County, all of which
are supposed to DC fraudulent. They were pur-
chased Twelve years ago, aud no interest or
principal has ever been paid upon them 1t also
includes 100000 in bonds of the city OF Law
renc,, issued in 1870 and 1871, on which interest
was paid until after the passage OF an act, by
the Legislature Of 1893 which, the authorities OF
Lawrence claim, relieved the city from oil fur
thcr liability on these bonds. The permanent
school fund has thus, in plain violation OF Sec
ton B. article 6. of the Constitution, been dimin-
ished to the extent Of $4,000, and 1t should be
the duty Of the Legislature to take Some action
looking to replacing this amount.
The permanent school fund is principally de-
rived from the sale Of school lands granted to
the State by Congress, the sixteenth and thirty
sixth section in every Congressional township,
and from the five per centum on all sales Of
public lands within the State. There are 2,25S
Congressional townships in the State, and two
sections in each township would make an ag-
gate of $500, 24O acres Of land. The State also
received from Congress, on its admission, 100000
acres of land. but this amount was, many years
ago, diverted from its original purpose, and
given to aid in building railroads.
The sale Of school lands, however, should
have yielded permanent school fund Of fifteen
or twenty million dollars, and would have done
this If the fund had been properly guarded and
sold. But the Legislature provided for its sale
the most absurd and improvident system that
could possibly have been devised and under
this reckless and pernicious legislation the per-
school fund has already been deprived
Of more than one-haf Of the benefits It should
have realized.
called the attention Of the Legislature to
this subject two years ago, as did each OF my
predecessors for eight years previously, but
nothing was done to reform the abuses Of the
this matter, and earnestly trust that some
action will be taken to protect what remains OF
our school domain from despoliatiOn.
The School Fund Commissioners are meeting
with increasing difficulties, year after year, in
keeping this fund invested. The law governing
such investments needs attention, and the
should devise some plan by means
of which the money coming into the school fund
can be promptly invested in safe interest-osar-
ing securities.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The biennial report of the Board Of Trustees
of State Charitable institutions, with its &C
reports of superintendent and
other officers, furnishes detailed Information
the condition, expense and require
ments of the Asylums for the Insane at Topeka
and OsQwatoIhie, the State Reform School ut
Topeka, the Institution for the Education OF
the Deaf and Dumb at Olathe, and that for the
Ed6catiOn of the Blind at Wyandotte, the Asy-
lum for Idiot;o and Imbecile Youth, now at
Lawrence, but soon to be removed to Winfield,
md the new Soldiers Orphans Home ut Atchi-
son.
These numerous charitable, educational and
institutions entail upon the State
heavy burdens, which increase as our popur-
ton increases. New buildings and additions,
costing $363, 300, were erected during the last